Splitting the class for next year - can I object?

[lunchtimeconcert]

Private school, two form entry. Next year the class has been muddled so that half my son’s class are now with half the other class. The decision of which child where seems to be arbitrary. My son will be away from one of his friends but in with another. Unfortunately the worst boys (always in trouble, mess about in class) are also in his group.

Can I request my son is not in this class? It’s that bad that if we cannot move him we will move school. Will the school take any notice?

Your being a snob op, i guarantee your Dc at some point has been on the traffic light system, most children will of, who's to say other parents have complained about your dc?

Complain away.

At dds school when they moved up to y7 the classes were carefully worked out, so we were told, and there would be no movement. One mother was not happy and threatened to remove her DD if she was not put in the class she perceived to be ‘better’.

She was moved.

Money talks.

How old are these children if they still have a traffic light system? 5? 6?

Perhaps you should remove your child because you clearly have no faith in next year's class teacher to manage behaviour in their classroom.

Classes are mixed at our school every year without fail. It's how my children have found a host of different friends. Some years they have more difficult groups than others, but it all comes out in the wash.

Everything thewinkingprawn said at 6.30 this morning.

There is something very wrong with a school / teacher if they really are highlighting a class behaviour traffic light system to all the parents, and not only allowing other parents to see how children other than their own are behaving, but actually encouraging it.
There is also something wrong with them holding mini parents evenings in full hearing of other parents, even as a one off, let alone on a daily basis.

In the unlikely event this is true That is what you should be complaining about, not the classes being mixed up now and then.

I might have missed it somewhere but what year are we talking about. Your dc sounds very young and you sound very new to all of this. Stop trying to micromanage the school. This is all so small fry that you will be embarrassed in a few years that you thought this was an issue. Young dc are 'naughty for a variety of reasons but it is unlikely that at your little private school there are knife wielding evil demonic dc. The ones you think are the worst are often fine in their own and the school may well have separated the one ringleader. They will know very well what drives the behaviours you don't. You could end up in the other class with the ring leader. Just accept that the school knows wifey they are doing. This is possibly your first dc. You will learn.

Argh auto corrects. You can figure out what I meant.

I mentioned on another thread recently that I'm always intrigued by parents who are aware of their the educational attainment, behavioural issues or special needs status of other children in their DC's primary class. I don't have a clue how 'able' DD's classmates are or how I'd find that information out if I was remotely interested.
I assume there is a mix of abilities in her class but I've never given it much thought. She's happy, loves school and I'm happy with the progress she's making.

If I was aware of disruptive children preventing her from learning my issue would be with teachers rather than pupils at this stage (she is year 1).

Re. overhearing the teacher talking to other parents: I've seen DD's teacher talk to parents at the end of the day but I've never overheard the conversation as he talks to them quietly or takes them to one side. OP's school sounds a little odd what with this traffic light system and teachers loudly giving a running commentary on pupil's behaviour at home time for all to hear.

I can’t imagine that the parents are all lined up with the teacher saying ‘now Jimmy had to move down to red because he pinched Tommy’.

Unfortunately the worst boys (always in trouble, mess about in class) are also in his group.

I thought the point of paying for private school was to keep your child away from children like that.

I'm always intrigued by parents who are aware of their the educational attainment, behavioural issues or special needs status of other children in their DC's primary class

When your child comes home crying because they missed lessons and had to sit in the hall for two hours because x was throwing chairs and threatening pupils with scissors, or crying because they missed play time (again) because the class was on lock down, or because they go stranded at the swimming baths because Y refused to get dressed, or even the dinner hall had to be cleaned because Z climbed on the table and wee’d on the kids lunches - these are top of my head examples - this was a daily event

To the point where said child would come home angry and rage refuse to eat and destroy their rooms in shear temper - then you know exactly what the behaviours are and who’s causing them and what ineffective management have done to deal with the situation - only then are you aware of these things - so the traffic light system

FWIW we moved them - life got easier, awards were won on merit not behaviour, lessons took place, days out and trips were had -

Sorry bet this attitude gets my goat.

I’m all for inclusion IF the children are capable of learning and ready to learn in the mainstream environment and not to the detriment of the other 29 pupils

This is where government are failing ALL the children involved.

NewSchoolNewName

They sometimes ask the parent to stay late, so they stand in the corridor while everyone files past with their child’s face on red on the traffic light 🙄. (The couple of most disruptive boys are picked up by nannies though so they don’t get the shaming routine.)

For the person who said it must take ages to pick up because of the system, yes it does. And as for hanging around listening 😁 the corridor is full of people, absolutely full. You hear conversations from the office and both reception classrooms. It’s not well thought out.

When there is a child with severe SN which aren't being managed well by the school such that the child themselves and the other members of their class are stressed and not getting a proper education than of course parents are going to know and be concerned.

In OP's case it sounds like these boys are just on the "red traffic light" quite often so are probably just a bit cheeky/fidgety/easily distracted. Well within the normal level of misbehaviour you would expect to find in any classroom.

Part of the education process you get from being a school is learning to get along and learn with all kinds of different people. Yes there might be a few kids being silly in the class room but your DS needs to learn to cope with that and get on with his work. You can't expect to select out all kids who are slightly more disruptive or less academic than you child and if you did you'd soon find your kid was the disruptive one holding the other little geniuses back!

If you move to a different school there will still be a few naughty kids and your child might even be the one sitting next to one of them (shock horror!).

@GreenTulips, as I wrote: if my child's education was being seriously disrupted my issue would be with the school rather than the disruptive child. I'm sorry your DC had to endure the situation you describe, it sounds awful and I would also have moved my child.

The point I was really making was that I never understand how some parents (usually competitive ones IME) seem to know how other children in their DC's class are performing academically compared to their own child. I couldn't point to a single child in DD's class and say what level they are at in reading, maths etc.

When my dc were at private primary the classes were shuffled every year it’s completely normal . It’s also completely normal IME for all the parents to know who the ‘naughty ‘children are , you don’t need to be in the classroom all day or reading the teachers notes to know that .

Can people bear in mind the 'naughty children' are sometimes the youngest so 'naughty' in a relative term.
The problem with parents assuming they know who the naughty kids are is
-sometimes they are wrong
-sometimes children change. How would you like to be judged for something you did at 4.0yo when you are 7/12 etc.
Plus many kids are worse at home than school. So the angels you see are doing possibly much worse at home

That traffic light system sounds horrendous.

We get reshuffled every year. Part of me hates it because it splits the parents I've got into the habit of chatting to around different classroom doors, but it's usually really good for the kids to mix up friendships a little bit - both kids have widened their friendship group no end after class mixes and the way the fallings in and out are at the moment they're bloody well due for another mix around!

And yes, I get the frustration when your child is in a class with a child who struggles to behave... DD2's had two years of being in a class with a kid who is vile to her (the child can be utterly vile to everyone so it's non discriminatory) and we're waiting to see how the classes are mixed up for next year at the moment.

I know where the kids are with reading as I hear most of them read! Plus when you get told your child is below/expected/exceeding in reports that gives you a decent idea of where they lie generally on the ability curve - but this one always gets broken out as a "oooh over involved parent" line from people who like to stir things up. Likewise if the school has a stated target level that they like the kids to be at in terms of book bands by the end of the year - that gives you a fair feel for if your child's at that, or behind or ahead (obviously on MN the average child emerges from the uterus reading Shakespeare)